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“As a curator, I believe that’s what we need to think about: How can we take art that has been here for many, many centuries, or maybe has been seen a million times – like an Andy Warhol piece – and make it look fresh again? Reveal things that the public may not have seen before.” —Dr. Josef Helfenstein

A highlight of the annual June pilgrimage to Basel is always a visit to their incomparable museums. From natural history and ancient art to cutting-edge contemporary, Basel’s museums never cease to be a respite from the frenzy of Art Basel. But did you know that Basel is also host to what is possibly the oldest public art museum in the world? The Kunstmuseum Basel is not only the largest public art collection in Switzerland (sorry, Geneva!), but in tracing its roots to the purchase of a collection of Hans Holbein works by the city of Basel in 1661, it lays claim to being the oldest, still-existing, publicly owned and accessible art museum in the world.

For this video, Art Basel toured the Kunstmuseum Basel and visited with its Director, Dr. Josef Helfenstein who talks about the role of the museum as an art institution and in the civic life of Basel.

Museums

Sponsor
8:04

MUSEUMS: Sarah Oppenheimer: Sensitive Machine

5:24

MUSEUMS: For Walter J. Hood, Architecture Means Power

4:28

MUSEUMS: Fabric Workshop and Museum Explores Clay and Fabric

8:08

MUSEUMS: Julie Mehretu Behind-the-Scenes With Checkerboard Films

2:09

MUSEUMS: Alice Neel Paints Life “Hot off the Griddle”

Galleries

5:24

GALLERIES: Alec Soth Takes the Measure of Photography

6:09

GALLERIES: Pablo Picasso: Seven Decades of Drawing

3:41

GALLERIES: For Landon Metz, Failure is an Option

4:17

GALLERIES: Jacob El Hanani Is a Line-Maker

1:09:20

LONGFORM: Sheila Hicks Reflects From Home in Paris

Studios

1:53

VAULT: Philip Guston Biopic Trailer (1981)

3:32

STUDIOS: Joep van Lieshout on Going Beyond Beautiful Design

5:02

STUDIOS: Peter Beard: “Nature is the best thing we’ve got”

10:34

STUDIOS: Ursula von Rydingsvard’s Material Instinct (2000)

3:00

STUDIOS: Billy Childish Gets Out of the Way of the Picture

Community

36:17

PODCAST: ‘Barbara London Calling’ Launches Season 2

Sponsor
47:07

LONGFORM: Hughie O’Donoghue in Conversation with Charles Saumarez Smith

3:31

COMMUNITY: William Eric Brown Applies New Processes to Old

58:08

PODCAST: Heidi Zuckerman in Conversation with Adam Pendleton

22:57

LONGFORM: ‘To Cast Too Bold a Shadow’ Exhibition Walkthrough

Market

3:39

MARKET: For Kimsooja, Immaterial Art Achieves Memory

15:35

MARKET: How Christie’s and Sotheby’s Dominate the Art Market

3:00

MARKET: Ghada Amer on Being a Woman Artist

4:37

MARKET: Catherine Petitgas is an Enabler

2:34

MARKET: Kunsthalle Basel Is of Its Time